Remembering Ayrton Senna

cosmiccyclist8 said:

And what about this? Why weren't they allowed to just get back out there and race—unlike Mario Andretti? Is this actually "draconian"?

bunp

cosmiccyclist8 said:bunp

Answer my simple questions first, then we can move on to Nigel Mansell.

mellowtiger83 said:I suppose they're preferable to those carrying high interest rates.😁

What would Guy say about that?

Jason Campbell70 said:What would Guy say about that?

Who cares what Guy thinks! Go ask him yourself, for crying out loud.🙂

Jason Campbell70 said:What would Guy say about that?

Look at this guy—an absolute expert on German quality. Unbelievable.

ruggedhawk20 said:Look at this guy—an absolute expert on German quality. Unbelievable.

Me?

Never!!! 🙂

Ayrton Senna testing at Imola with McLaren—it’s honestly fascinating watching how they dialed in the car setup and everything else with the McLaren crew.---


Compare that to what was happening over at Williams. From the very first practice session, you can see it: pure disappointment, disbelief, frustration, and straight-up anger. There wasn't any excitement or joy, none of that rush you get when you finally realize you're sitting in a powerhouse capable of winning races. They were basically stripped of everything that guys like Alain Prost and Nigel Mansell had access to. Honestly, compared to something like the Benetton, the Williams was just an unmanageable, impossible-to-tune piece of junk. Even the steering felt off from the jump, and eventually, that mess just cost him dearly.





Even Nigel Mansell, who managed to snag a title in a car like that, admitted it was total garbage and nowhere near his championship-winning machine. He actually jumped into Ayrton Senna's car for a bit, trying to salvage something for Williams that season.

Hey, can I get some clarification here?

1. Are you suggesting that everything at McLaren was run with total professionalism—basically top-tier—compared to Williams, which was the complete opposite? Or am I just getting my wires crossed?
2. Also, why would anyone even think Ayrton Senna was out of place at McLaren?

cosmiccyclist8 said:Hey, can I get some clarification here?

1. Are you suggesting that everything at McLaren was run with total professionalism—basically top-tier—compared to Williams, which was the complete opposite? Or am I just getting my wires crossed?
2. Also, why would anyone even think Ayrton Senna was out of place at McLaren?

Nah, it's more about seeing the contrast between how things ran at McLaren versus Williams. At Williams, he was constantly radiating this pure dissatisfaction, almost like he sensed the car was a total lost cause. It felt like he was losing his mind because he had to push every single limit just to stay relevant.🤦

Dana Perez6 said:Nah, it's more about seeing the contrast between how things ran at McLaren versus Williams. At Williams, he was constantly radiating this pure dissatisfaction, almost like he sensed the car was a total lost cause. It felt like he was losing his mind because he had to push every single limit just to stay relevant.🤦

I mean, regardless of how he names that car—because let's be real, you already know that back in '94 his teammate was Damon Hill, who was apparently busy chatting away on the radio in that same machine.

Dana Perez6 said:Nah, it's more about seeing the contrast between how things ran at McLaren versus Williams. At Williams, he was constantly radiating this pure dissatisfaction, almost like he sensed the car was a total lost cause. It felt like he was losing his mind because he had to push every single limit just to stay relevant.🤦

Maybe he was just a driver who struggled to adapt to a new environment or a different setup.

There you go. That’s about all we can say about his "greatness"

The hallmark of an elite driver is being able to pivot instantly when things change. Not to mention making a totally different car feel natural.

A real pro drives whatever they put in front of them.

But hey, according to you, Ayrton Senna just couldn't handle it..

@mellowtiger83

You're participating in this thread unnecessarily. Leave this space to the people who actually feel the need to talk about this man for whatever reason they have. 😉

Let's finally catch up over coffee at the end of the month!

Best, from an old friend.
Fulcrum

ruggedhawk20 said:Maybe he was just a driver who struggled to adapt to a new environment or a different setup.

There you go. That’s about all we can say about his "greatness"

The hallmark of an elite driver is being able to pivot instantly when things change. Not to mention making a totally different car feel natural.

A real pro drives whatever they put in front of them.

But hey, according to you, Ayrton Senna just couldn't handle it..

Hahaha.😁 Tazio, you're too much, kid.
He drove that garbage Williams pretty well himself... He adapted to new cars incredibly fast. Actually, way too fast, because he was forced to set lap records and grab pole positions while wrestling those "clunkers." Alain Prost was basically a snail whenever it started drizzling; once a little rain actually fell, he’d be crying for a red flag. Back when Ayrton Senna was just a kid in that totally inferior Toleman-Hart, he managed to hunt down everyone in the rain at Monaco. To prevent him from overtaking and embarrassing Alain Prost, the honorable Jean-Marie Balestre pushed for an emergency race stoppage to save Alain's reputation. He ended up second and still made comments about what an exceptional driver he was back in 1984. Fast forward: that "Fearful" Alain Prost was crawling along like a slug at high-speed Hockenheim, nearly getting run into by Didier Pironi, who was actually driving aggressively in the rain. Pironi slammed into him at full speed and was launched into the air like a plane—pretty much the same horrific scene as his colleague Gilles Villeneuve at Zolder. Unlike Gilles, who lost his life, that wreck ended Didier Pironi's Formula 1 career because his legs were so crushed he barely escaped amputation. They could hardly pull him out of the car, and he missed out on the 1982 championship by a mere 4 points—won by Keke Rosberg with just one victory. Well, stuff happens, we can't blame Alain, but the fact remains that he was always terrified of the rain, just like Niki Lauda. But then you had guys who lived for the rain—Ayrton Senna, Villeneuve, Pironi, Michael Schumacher... A driver who doesn't know how to handle the wet simply isn't a complete driver. And those four guys loved tearing it up on "bald" slick tires...
If Ayrton Senna had never driven again after his win at Monaco, what he pulled off that day would have been enough to build him a monument...
👍

Joseph Hernandez18 said:@mellowtiger83

You're participating in this thread unnecessarily. Leave this space to the people who actually feel the need to talk about this man for whatever reason they have. 😉

Let's finally catch up over coffee at the end of the month!

Best, from an old friend.
Fulcrum

What a breath of fresh air 👍. Get in touch.

cosmiccyclist8 said:I mean, regardless of how he names that car—because let's be real, you already know that back in '94 his teammate was Damon Hill, who was apparently busy chatting away on the radio in that same machine.

Well, Damon Hill certainly spent plenty of time in that car; he was trailing by an entire lap at one point, if I recall correctly.😁

ruggedhawk20 said:Maybe he was just a driver who struggled to adapt to a new environment or a different setup.

There you go. That’s about all we can say about his "greatness"

The hallmark of an elite driver is being able to pivot instantly when things change. Not to mention making a totally different car feel natural.

A real pro drives whatever they put in front of them.

But hey, according to you, Ayrton Senna just couldn't handle it..

Anyway, what's the weather like in Krapina today? Foggy or sunny?

Since we're discussing adapting to cars, I seem to recall a period where Michael Schumacher had a teammate with identical equipment and ended up losing out decisively—a 3:0 split over three seasons.

And honestly, even before then, he lost to teammates 🙂, likely because they were given equal status.

mellowtiger83 said:Well, Damon Hill certainly spent plenty of time in that car; he was trailing by an entire lap at one point, if I recall correctly.😁

Who exactly was he falling behind? In which race?

cosmiccyclist8 said:Who exactly was he falling behind? In which race?

In Brazil, he was a whole damn lap down to Michael Schumacher.

cosmiccyclist8 said:Who exactly was he falling behind? In which race?

In that one race where Michael Schumacher illegally finished ahead of Ayrton Senna by cutting through the pits during a lightning-fast refueling stop (which was obviously against the rules).

ruggedhawk20 said:In Brazil, he was a whole damn lap down to Michael Schumacher.

That’s true, but mellowtiger83 is really aiming at Ayrton Senna👍 regarding how he lost a lap back there. 👍

But if you look at it, Hill puts 6 points on the board here—so how many points did Ayrton Senna actually lose out on by being a lap down when he had such a massive lead? How much, mellowtiger83?